


I See Better from a Distance

by Orlando_Furioso



Series: Hawkfic [1]
Category: Hawkeye (Comics), Marvel (Comics)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-21
Updated: 2013-05-21
Packaged: 2017-12-12 12:18:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/811519
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Orlando_Furioso/pseuds/Orlando_Furioso
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clint and Kate are too close to see it, but their friends are there to point it out to them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I See Better from a Distance

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first part of a lot, lot, more. Hopefully I can figure out how to put it all together in a series so it tells the whole story. It's dialogue-heavy and I'd apologize for that, buuut I'm not all that sorry.

>>>\--------------------->

Clint Barton perched atop a stool in the kitchen of his apartment says, “I thought maybe things had changed between us.  Maybe I’d changed.  I’d died and been brought back; I hadn’t been Hawkeye for a while; I killed a bunch of Skrulls; I even tried to kill their queen.  Maybe I’d changed.”

“That doesn’t make you a killer Clint, and you didn’t try to kill the Skrull queen,” Bobbi Morse observes.

“No…,” Clint hangs his head a little more, “…I didn’t.  But I wanted to.”

“No you didn’t.”

“Bobbi you weren’t even there ‘til afterwards.  How do you-”

“Because I watched the video.  You saw Skrull-Jessica and you hesitated because you’ve got a weak spot when it comes to women getting beat on.  And because I know you.   If you shot to kill her you would’ve killed her because you don’t miss.”

“An invading alien queen, whole world on the line, and I still couldn’t do it.  I couldn’t -”

“You can do anything you want, Clint Barton.  You’re one of the most determined, most stubborn, people I’ve ever met.  If you really wanted to – if you really wanted anything – there’s not much on Earth that could stand in your way.  But you didn’t want to kill her because that’s not you.  That’s not my Clint.”

“If I’d known you were there, Bobbi, if I’d known what happened, I swear to God I would’ve.”

“Except you’re an Avenger and Avengers don’t kill.  The Clint Barton I know would remind people of that because the Clint Barton I know doesn’t change.  And you either love him for that, or you love him in spite of that.”

“Yeah?  So which one was it with you?”

“Let’s just say I love you and leave it at that.”

“Love ‘em and leave ‘em.  That used to be my thing.”

“Sport, that was **_never_** your thing.  Once **_you_** love somebody they stay **_loved_**.”

“So, this is it then?  No more Hawk & Mock?”

“No, I’m pretty sure I’d just get in the way of you and your new partner.”

“Who?  Katie?  We’re not – I mean – I’m not sleeping with her.”

“I didn’t say you were.  And it’s now, officially, none of my business.”

“We’re just partners.  She watches my back.  You know, on those rare occasions when I get in – just a little bit – over my head.”

“Poor kid must be exhausted 24 hours a day.”

“Aww, c’mon, Birdie,” Clint says with such a hound dog expression that Bobbi can’t help but laugh out loud.

“Actually, I think she’s kind of good for you.  The Avengers are your only real friends and they…well…they aren’t exactly lining up to hang out with you, you know.  Aside from me.  And she seems to want to be with you.  She’s a busy girl and she’s still here **_all the time_**.  In your crappy apartment.  Following you everywhere.  She’s even willing to be “you” just to be around you.”

“I guess,” Clint says absently rubbing the back of his neck, “I’m just hoping I can teach her a thing or two without actually rubbing off on her too much.”

“Not the worst idea in the world.  Just be careful, Sport.  If she actually **_is_** anything like you then there’s already two Hawkeyes in this relationship.  Two Hawkeyes means twice as many heartbreakers and I’ve been where she is before.”

“I don’t even – what’s that supposed to mean Birdie?”

“You – how do I put this – you get into everything.  You have this infectious thing about you.  When someone’s around you, you get into them and make it difficult to see anything else.” 

“That-that doesn’t exactly sound like a good thing.”

“Well, I certainly didn’t know what I was in for, but I wouldn’t say it was a bad thing.  Just like me, she ran away from her life to be a part of the circus you call a life.  You understand what I’m saying, right?  This is getting through to you, isn’t it?”

 “Little bit.  Maybe every other word or so.  Gotta sift through all the insults to get to the helpful, cheering up parts.  But even if something like **_us_** did happen between me and Katie, it wouldn’t last very long.  I can’t make this stuff work.  I can barely make the relationship work now.  I’m gonna screw it up just like-”

“Cut the crap, Barton.  Name me one– ONE relationship – girlfriend, ex, or one night stand that’s **_not_** still in love with you.  That wouldn’t fall **_back_** in love with you tomorrow.  Hell, I’m divorcing you and I can’t imagine not having you in my life.  I don’t know what you’re looking for in a relationship, but when people are a part of you like that it means something.”

Clint quietly mulls Bobbi’s words over for a second “What can I say?” He says running a hand through his hair. “I’ve got a gift.”

“To be honest, I’d be willing to bet that as much as she likes or idolizes “Mockingbird” because – let’s face it – I’m pure kickassery, there’s a part of her that likes Mockingbird because I was married to you.”

“No way.”

“Think about it.  During our West Coast days, most people only knew me, only knew Mockingbird, as Hawkeye’s wife.”

“That’s because-”

“Doesn’t matter.  We were always calling each other stupid cute pet names.  Nobody’s ever gonna forget that you and I were together.  Especially on her team of fanboys.  Thankfully, with that many adolescents on a team, there are enough distractions that nobody’s really put it together.”

“Maybe she won’t put it together either.”  Clint says knowing Kate was probably/definitely smarter than he was about things like this.

“Ha.  You should both be so lucky.”

“Aww, Birdie, I can’t be all that bad can I?  We had good times too.”

“We had lots of good times, Sport.” Bobbi says with heartfelt sincerity.  “But, well, here we are.”

“Yeah.  I’m gonna miss you Birdie.”

“I’ll miss you too, Clint.  The divorce may be final, but I don’t think it’s the last we’ll see of each other.  Birds of a feather remember?”

“Forever and ever.  Goodbye Bobbi.”

“Goodbye, Clint.”

And with that Bobbi walked out of his apartment and his life.  Clint closed the door and decided that sleeping was preferable to sulking.  He’d think about Bobbi and what she’d said about him, and about him and Katie later, when he didn’t feel so…defeated.   He rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands and trodded to his bedroom to sleep off this terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.

>>>\--------------------->

Tommy Shephard, Billy Kaplan, and Teddy Altman are sitting through another story session with Kate Bishop where she gushes on and on about her time with a certain arrow-slinging Avenger.  They’re all friends here and the majority of them are fans of at least one or both Hawkeyes so they’re eager to hear the stories, but they’ve started to notice that Kate has a hard time being composed when she’s describing the action.  Kate’s usual cool, and reserved attitude and pattern of speech is broken up with run-on sentences full of “like” and “totally” that seem to indicate that there’s more going on than the strictly business partnership that she claimed to have.

“Clint did this way too cool thing.  First, he shows up like he’s Mr. Nick O’Time and he shoots arrows down the gun barrels of three ULTIMATUM guys, like in an instant, and knocks the guns completely out of three more in the next.”

“Who’s ULTIMATUM?”  Tommy interrupts.

“Buncha Eurotrash pricks in white masks and jackets with black sunglasses and funny berets.  They like to pretend they’re AIM, who likes to pretend they’re HYDRA, so they’re like 2nd or 3rd generation wannabes.  Apparently, as the mouthpiece for the group helpfully pointed out, ULTIMATUM is actually an acronym.  Stands for Underground Liberated Totally Integrated Mobile Army To Unite Mankind.  Totally bizarre, right?”

“How can something be ‘Liberated’ and at the same time ‘Totally Integrated’?”  Teddy ponders.

“I don’t fucking know.  I barely remembered the acronym.  Can I continue my story, now please?”

The boys nod in unison.

“So now it’s just Clint and Flag Smasher, this hopped-up idiot with a mace, and Clint pulls this arrow out of his quiver reeeaaalll slow like.  And he says, ‘Now watch closely.’  Only he says it all suave like he’s some kind of badass magician.  He twirls the arrow around like Tommy Lee, you know, like he’s the drummer of a rock band before he knocks it and says, ‘Now you see it…’ He launches it and BAM!” Kate taps her forehead.  “He knocks the guy out – with an arrow – and says, cold as Canada, ‘Now you don’t.’”

“…wow…?” Teddy questions.

“Tch.  You don’t get it.  He’s, like, the coolest, best, sexiest, -oh- and when he finishes, he takes a bow, and he’s like, ‘Ta da.’”

“Did she say sexiest?”  Billy leans over to ask Teddy.

“He sounds like a show off,” Tommy huffs.

“No way.  Well, yeah, kind of, but right then it was in a good way.  But, okay, so later on I take out these two muggers with a bolo arrow that he gave me and a third guy with an arrow to the knee and I say, ‘Ta da’ and I do his little bow back at him.  And he says, ‘Don’t get cute with me girly-girl.  We both know which one of us’ll win that contest and which one of us’ll go home and cry about it in her Hello Kitty diary.’”

“Bwa ha ha ha - oomph.”  Tommy’s laughter is cut short by a quick jab from Billy.  Teddy’s snickering gets stopped with an equally sharp look.

“What an ass.” Billy says as a consolation.

“I know, right?  He’s, like, the cockiest, most condescending, most-”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, coolest, best, sexiest-blah, blah, blah.  Just **_do_** him already.”  Tommy interjects.

“I’m not – God – I mean, we’re not even –”

“Whatever,” Tommy spouts impatiently.  “I’ve had more than the daily recommended allowance of Hawkeye for the day.  I’m out.”  He says leaving vacated air in his wake.

“Clint and I are just partners,” Kate pleads to the remaining Billy and Teddy.

“I know Kate, but you have to see how it looks from our side,” Teddy says empathetically.  “We don’t care that you’re into him-”

“I am not,” Kate interrupts vehemently.

“If you weren’t into him you wouldn’t be at his place all the time.  Of course you’re into him.  He’s Hawkeye.   He’s funny and confidant and damn good-looking –”

This time Billy interrupts, “Excuse me?”

Teddy looks at him and then quickly looks away, “But he’s also a well-known collector of relationships.  Both good and bad.  Just be careful that’s all I’m saying.”  He finishes quickly before taking his leave and making sure to not look too much in Billy’s direction.

This left only Kate and Billy in the living room together.

“I suppose you want to weigh in too,” Kate fires preemptively.

“I…,” Billy considers carefully, “unfortunately have to agree with my boyfriend.  Not because I want to, mind you, but because he happens to be right.  I’ve never known you to gush, Kate, but after you’ve been out with him you come home with your stories and you’re…different.”

“Different how?” Kate questions with a partial scowl.

“You seem to enjoy going out with him for training, or patrolling, or whatever, and you do it an awful lot and then you come home, I don’t know, happier,” Billy does his best to answer.

“That doesn’t mean I want to sleep with him.”  Kate says reminding herself to keep her emotions checked.

“Whoa, hey, I didn’t say anything about sex.  That’s between you and him.  Although if something does happen I wouldn’t **_necessarily_** mind hearing details,” Billy says trying to be funny and trying not to blush while doing so.  Kate hid her amusement behind a glare and Billy finished with, “I said being with him makes you happy.  As long as that’s the case, I think you should keep doing it.  But you should also be careful.”

With that Billy excused himself so that he could find Teddy leaving Kate to think it over some more in quiet solitude.

>>>\--------------------->


End file.
